Motorcyclist hopes to reunite stuffed animal found near Osoyoos with its owner

A Vancouver Island motorcyclist is on a mission to reunite a stuffed animal with its owner after finding it at a rest stop in southern British Columbia’s interior.

John De Jong was returning home from a 2,000-kilometer motorcycle trip when his group stopped at a rest area east of Osoyoos on August 25.

“It was quite a big rest area and we went straight to the other end and there was a car parked to the side and we kind of stopped behind the car,” said Jong.

“Then the car drove away and I saw it lying there. I picked it up because it belonged to a child and turned the corner where I could see the entrance to the place but they were gone.”

The soft toy is a monkey named Boots from the children’s series Dora the Explorer. According to Jong, the toy has someone’s name printed on it.

He said he couldn’t just leave the fabric at the rest stop, so Jong Boots strapped to the back of his motorcycle for the long journey home.

“It came from all the way up in Osoyoos to where I live – Victoria BC,” Jong said

Back on the island, Jong turned to Facebook to find the owner. As of Sunday evening, his post had been shared over 6,000 times.

“It was crazy. I just thought it was people in BC and then I got messages from everywhere,” Jong said.

“I have a [Saturday] by someone in London, Ontario who said they read the post and thought it was moving.

To prove that the monkey is yours, Jong is looking for someone to tell him what name is printed on the toy.

1:04
Mom helps the boy find his lost Mickey Mouse stuffed animal